Because Therapy's Expensive

Months ago I entered the home of Erin and Gary for the first time. I remember it was dark. And filled with twenty years of stuff they no longer wanted. The spaces were not being used to their full potential. It was dark. (Yes, I'm saying it again).

My plan was to paint everything--walls, trim, built-ins...you name it. If you have been following me for a while you know I love the color blue. I remember Erin looking at me and saying, "by the way, I don't like blue." Some people might have freaked out then, but not me. I thought, you just wait. You will love blue, trust me.Guess what. She loves the color blue.

I'm going to share the whole house makeover, but I want to start with the den. Gary hangs out in this space all the time. He's retired so he's home a lot. He needed a comfy chair and his large TV mounted on the wall. I got you covered, Gary!

Here is what the den (and powder bath) looked like before.

See what I mean? Dark.The first thing we did was call the painter and had the walls, ceiling, and trim painted Repose Gray by Sherwin Williams. The trim was painted Snowbound by Sherwin Williams. Next, I came up with a design plan. Then, it was time to get the show on the road!Here is the newly updated den and powder bath. It's quite the transformation.

It's such a beautiful, functional, cozy space. Erin texts me often with I LOVE MY HOUSE. Those are my favorite text messages to receive.

One of my favorite spaces to style is a dining room that needs a little love. It's not terrible, it's just lost its luster. The dining room is an important place in the home. Gone are the days where dining rooms were a place you visited only on special holidays. Families are using them daily for meals and homework, and game night on the weekends.

I'm going to show you three of my favorite dining room space makeovers.

1. Beth

Beth's dining room looked like this the first day I visited.

The table was beautiful and staying. The chairs were in good shape, so I suggested we reupholster the captain's chairs and paint the side chairs. The plan became...1. Paint the walls and trim2. Replace the ceiling fan with a light fixture.3. New rug4. Paint the existing side board.5. New lamps6. Turn the table the other way to open up the space between the living and dining areas. (Note: in the above photo we turned the table around so I could show her what it would look like)7. Add drapes8. Use textiles she already owned (like the suzani) and make them into art. Here is how the room transformed.

2. Sheri

Here is what the dining area looked like before...(Note: it was housecleaning day so that's why the chairs and curtains are out of place)

The design plan1. New table and chairs2. New light3. Add a rug4. New drapes5. Add plantation shuttersBasically this makeover was all cosmetic. Sheri and her husband have two young kids and they use this space all the time, so it had to be functional and durable. Here's how it turned out.

3. ValerieWhen I visited her house for the first time, she told me two things had to stay in the room--the art and the chandelier. So I designed the space around them. Here is what the room looked like before.

The design plan was this...1. New colorful rug2. New table3. New chairs4. Add accessories​5. Add drapes and art

Do you want to know where everything came from? Here are the links to the products.1. Beth's houseRug​Chandelier​Otomi fabric on end chairs

I think one of my favorite spaces to design is a young girl's room. The first one I was hired to do was my niece's room--and I wasn't even designing homes for a living yet. It was just something my brother asked me to do while they were on vacation a few years ago. It was so fun to use the playful/whimsical part of my brain. Ever since then I have been a huge fan of girly rooms. Young girls tend to appreciate a rainbow of color so that's an easy fit for me. More times than not when I ask little girls their favorite color they're like ALL OF THEM. It's music to my ears.

A few months back I was lucky enough to get to style London's room. She's 10 and one of the sweetest little girls I've been around. She had hot pink stripes on her ceiling and she let me know right away she was over it. "No more pink," she said. She thought the color pink was too girly for her sensibilities. I asked if we could paint the walls turquoise and she very excitedly agreed.

Here is what London's room looked like before.

It wasn't bad, it just wasn't pulled together. Her mom told me she needed a dresser, a place for books and art supplies, and a place to sit.

Funny enough, I was selling my 15 year old daughter's dresser because we were in the middle of redoing her room. So London's mom bought the dresser from me. It was a win for both of us!

I wanted to stay on budget, so while splurging on bedding from Anthropologie and a hanging chair from Serena & Lily, I cut costs by purchasing the other main pieces from Wayfair, Target, and HomeGoods. It's kinda how I am with my clothes. I might spend $125 on a pair of good blue jeans and then buy all my tops at Target. It's how I justify buying expensive jeans!

Everything shipped quickly and my team and I spent an afternoon shopping for art and accessories. At Target I spotted a gold dot print removable wallpaper and decided to apply it to the tops of the night stands. Doing little tricks like this is an inexpensive way to customize plain furniture. Plus no one will have one like it! It's unique, just like you.

Here's how the room turned out after we finished.

I wasn't there when London saw her room for the first time, but her mom tells me that she gets up every day and makes her bed because this is her dream room. And she goes to bed at night and says to her mom, "I love my room so much." That's all I needed to hear.

If you'd like your home or a room in your home restyled by me, please feel free to email me. shauna@shaunaglenndesign.com. I even offer E-Design.